Vapor heating system for railway-cars.



E. H. GOLD.

VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY (mas.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1912. 1,084,797, Patented Jan. 20, 1914;

2 snnm L E. H. GOLD.

VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

- APPLICATION TILED MAY 17, 1912. 1,084,797. A

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Jan. 20, 1914.

EGBERT H. GOLD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VAIPOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR- RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1914.

Application filed May 17, 1912. Serial No. 697,837.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EGBER'I H. Grow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Ilhnois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Heating Systems for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam heating systems and more particularly to steam heating systems for use on railway cars of the type employing a thermostatic device subjected directly to contact with the medlum at the outlet end of the system for controllin the inflow of steam to the radiator or ra iators; an example of such a heating system being that known as the vapor system of car heating. In systems of this type it has been customary to inclose the thermostatic member of the controller or vapor regulator in a casing or outlet pipe through which the water of condensation from the radiating coils is discharged. The outlet of the system being constantly open the discharge of water of condensation is followed by an outflow of steam which, coming into contact with the thermostatic member of the vapor regulator, operates to shut ofi' or throttle further inflow to the radiator or radiators. With an arrangement such as this in which the water of condensation comes into contact with the thermostat it happens under some circumstances that the inlet valve is closed or moved toward a closing position before it should be, that is, before the radiating pipes are completely rid of water of condensation and filled with vapor. This will occur if for any reason the water discharged is hot enough to materially affect the thermostat. Where, for example, the radiating coils are of considerable length there will be in cold weather an almost constant outflow of Water of condensation so that the thermostat is kept constantly expanded. This results in a checking of inflow and a consequent retardation of the outflow of water so that instead of havin the radiating pipes completely filled witE steam at approximately two hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit they are in part filled with water at a lower temperature. The retardation of the outflow of water results in increasing the temperature of the water so that the accumulation of water in the system is augmented as time goes on. Besides decreasing the heating capacity of the coils the presence of a consi erable amount of water increases the likelihood of a freeze up when the steam is shut off and the system left to drain. My present invention successfully overcomes this difiiculty by providing a controlling device having two outlets, one for the water of condensation and another for steam. The thermostat is located in the second mentioned outlet.

A further object of the invention is to utilize this arrangement of the separate steam and water outlets to lessen the chance of a freeze up by placing the two outlet pipes close to each other so that each tends to keep the other warm. This same arrangement facilitates the thawing out of the controller in case one of. the passageways becomes clogged with ice. Furthermore, by providing an outlet for water separate from the passageway in which the thermostat is arranged if any freeze up occurs it is most likely to be in the water outlet pipe. This does no articular harm because the action of the t ermostat, which is located in the steam outlet is not affected, and, in case of necessity, the water can find its escape out of the system through the other passageway, that is, the one containing the thermostat. This condition is, of course, most likely to occur at a time when the car has been laid off and the system shut down. Supposing that, under these circumstances, the water outlet pipe becomes frozen up, when the steam is again turned on the'propcr control of the system is not seriously interfered with because the thermostat is free from ice or relatively so, and the system has through the steam outlet pipe an opening for the discharge of water of condensation.

The invention has for further objects the several novel constructions, arrangements and devices shown in the drawings and which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

.The invention is illustrated. in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the essential parts of the system, certain supporting devices for the vapor regulator beingomitted for the purpose of clearness of illustration. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vapor regulator; Fig. 3, a View in elevation, with certain parts in section, of the vapor regulator and its supporting devices;

. but varying pressures.

Fig. 4, a sectional view taken on line 4-1 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5, a sectional plan taken on line5-5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6, a sectional view of a fitting constituting part of the vapor regulator.

Like characters of reference desi late like parts in the several figures of the rawings.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the flooring of the car, B the radiator, G the steam train pi e, D the controller or vapor regulator, ant E a shut-oil valve. The steam in the train pipe is ordinarily at high It passes to the inlet end of the radiator through a pipe 10, 11 and the shut-off valve E, which latter is a familiar form of four-Way'valve and need not be described in detail as the construction is shown in my Patent No. 925,692 dated June 22, 1909. The vapor regulator D is interposed between pipe sections 10 and 11. A pipe 12conducts the medium, either in the form of water of condensation or steam, from the discharge end of the radiator back to the controller D. i

The controller D may be of any suitable construction. A familiar construction otf controller is shown in the drawings, attention being directed particularly to Fig. 2.

13 designates a casing divided by an inte rior web into the high pressure chamber 14 to which pipe section 10 leads, and the low pressure chamber 15 from which leads pipe section 11. cate by a port 16 which is controlled by a valve 17 carried on a stem 18 pivoted to a bell crank 19, the other arm of which is pivoted to a rod 20 bearing upon the thermostatic member 21, the latter being located in a thermostat chamber 22 at the end of the steam discharge pipe 23. This pipe is threaded into a casing 24, connected by a web 25 with the casing 13. The return pipe 12 leads to casing 24. Interposed between the end of pipe 12 and the casing 24 is a fitting 26 formed on the under side with a threaded opening 27 and at the extremity adjacent the casing 24 with an upstanding web or dam 28. The water outlet pipe 29 lies close up against the steam out-let pipe 23 and is connected with the fitting 26 by means of the coupling elements 30, 31, the latter of which is tapped into the opening 27 The arrangement of the steam and water outlet pipes close together is particularly desirable in the installation shown which is the one intended for Pullman cars in which the vapor regulator is made unusually long so as to extend down close to the ground and obviate the possibility of coating the car axles with ice. When the vapor regulator is as long as this the danger of a freeze up is, of course, increased. In addition to placing the two pipes in juxtaposition they are preferably surrounded by a heat insulating body Chambers 14: and 15 communiweave? 32 of asbestos or the like, which is inc'losed in a sheet metal shell or jacket 33, the flanged edges 34, 34 of which are secured together by the bolts 35.

In order to support the lower end of the controller, which is particularly desirable when the device is of unusual length as shown, a horizontal support 36 is riveted to the under frame of the car, as shown, and sustained ,by a diagonally arranged brace 37. A clamping element 38 is secured I by a bolt 39 and extends jacket 33 and around the pipes 23, 29. The clamping takes rectly instead of engaging the jacket 33 because if the latter arrangement were employed the vibration of the pipes would soon destroy the packing.

The operation of scribed is as of the vapor regulator to be open and the shut-off valve E set so as to allow the flow of medium to and from the radiating coil the steam from train pipe C will flow through the radiator and discharge pipe 12 into the casing 24 and thence through the steam outlet pipe to the thermostat 21. As soon as the steam comes into contact with the thermostat the latter expands and closes valve 17 The water of condensation formed tothe horizontal support 36 the system above de.

through an aperture in the.

hold of the pipes 23, 29 di-' follows: Assuming'valve 17 in the radiating pipes takes the same course through pipe 12'but is prevented from flowing into the casing 24. by the dam 28 and finds an outlet through the water outlet pipe 29. Therefore the thermostat is subjected only to comparatively dry steam and substantially no steam finds its way out of the radiating coil until the coil has been completely freed of water of condensation. In other words, the'radiating coil is kept at all times and under all conditions filled with steam at atmospheric pressure. It will be understood that under ordinary conditions the operation is not the. intermittent one described but a balance of valve 17 is reached which so long as conditions remain unchanged allows the passage of just enough steam from the train pipe to make up for the loss by condensation.

As the pipes 23, 29 are arranged close to getherand covered with heat insulating material there is little danger that either of them will freeze. One or the other is quite certain to be kept hot. If pipe 29 is not discharging water pipe 23 is filled with steam.

If any freeze up occurs after the system has been shut down it is sure to be in the water pipe 29 which does not afiect the operation of the thermostat when the steam is again the water to the Water outlet pipe and prevents it from entering the steam outlet under ordinary conditions; but if the water outlet be clogged with ice the accumulated water will eventually overflow the dam.

The arrangement of the water outlet close to the steam outlet has another important function. It Prevents the waste of steam. The water outlet is constantly open to the atmosphere. No seal of any sort is used. But it is smaller in cross sectional area than the steam outlet and being close thereto when steam reaches the discharge end of the radiator it will pass quite as readily through the steam outlet as through the water outlet, in fact more readily through the former; and as soon as it has reached the thermostat checks the inflow which, of course, prevents further outflow.

I claim:

1. In a low pressure heating system for railway cars, the combination with a radiating coil, of a vapor regulator comprising a casing with the upper end of which the return end of said radiating coil communicates and formed at its lower end with a thermostat chamber open to the atmosphere and serving as a steam outlet, a drainage pipe for water of condensation which opens out of the return end of the radiating coil adjacent said casing and extends down along said casing, and a jacket provided with an insulating liningwhich incloses said drainage pipe and casing, for the purpose described.

2. In a low pressure heating system for railway cars, the combination with a radiating coil, of a vapor regulator comprising a casing formed at its lower end with a thermostat chamber open to the atmosphere, a fitting interposed between the return end of the radiating coil and the upper end of said casing formed with a dam, a drainage pipe for water of condensation leading from the fitting between the return end of the radiating coil and said dam which extends along said casing, and a jacket provided with an insulating lining inclosing said pipe casing, for the purpose described.

EGBERT H. GOLD.

Witnesses:

L. A. FALKENBERG, H. L. PECK. 

